David Bernhardt - America's '2-Hour Pretend President'

Taken to an undisclosed location during the President's State of the Union address, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt is this year's "Designated Survivor" to prepare for the worst-case scenario.

US President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address to the US Congress. Photo: Reuters

The President assumed office for 2 hours

During the 2-hour State of the Union address of the US President, the only thing that Interior Secretary David Bernhardt did was hold his breath and wait until the event ended safely and properly. It has been a tradition since 1960 that every year when the US President reads the State of the Union address, a member of the cabinet will be selected and taken to a secret location, treated and strictly protected like a President for 120 minutes.

This is a regulation that the US government has implemented for the past 40 years, in order to prepare personnel to prevent the worst situations such as terrorist attacks or natural disasters. This principle was born from the fact that almost all members of both houses of congress and all members of the government must gather at one time.

The “designated survivor” would be the person who takes over as President to keep the government running in the event of a disaster.

Although he was chosen this year, Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt did not even know in advance. Previous officials chosen were similarly barred from even disclosing any information after completing their duties as a “main character.” By regulation, Mr. Bernhardt is the eighth person on the list of “designated survivors” to serve as President in the current US administration.

Previously in 2018 it was Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, last year 2019 it was Energy Secretary Rick Perry. And this year it is Mr. David Bernhardt, who is considered a right-hand man of President Donald Trump since being appointed as US Secretary of the Interior on February 4, 2019.

Right-hand man

Born on August 17, 1969, David Bernhardt grew up in Rifle, Colorado, and has been involved in politics since he was 16. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Northern Colorado in 1990. While in college, he was accepted to practice at the U.S. Supreme Court. He also received a certificate from the National Law Center at George Washington University in 1994.

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt is a key ally of US President Donald Trump in the trade war with China. Photo: AP

David Bernhardt began his career as a lawyer in Colorado, becoming an associate of the Brownstein Hyatt & Farber Law Firm - a lobbying firm in Denver, Colorado. The turning point was in 2001, when he was recruited to work at the US Department of the Interior as an advisor to the then Secretary Gale Norton. At the same time, he was also the Director of the Department of Congressional and Legislative Affairs. He held the position of US Interior Attorney from 2006 to 2009. After that, Mr. David Bernhardt officially joined the Brownstein Hyatt & Farber Law Firm, which he had previously worked with. Becoming a shareholder in the company, Mr. Berhardt also became the head of the company's natural resource law team. In this position, Mr. Berhardt participated in many lobbying campaigns on water or salmon protection...

On April 28, 2017, President Trump nominated Mr. Berhardt as the top Deputy Secretary to Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and CEO of the Federal Land and Energy Administration. With many notable contributions, on February 4, 2019, Mr. Berhardt was officially appointed as the US Secretary of the Interior.

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt (right) always accompanies President Trump. Photo: The Hill

A former energy lobbyist, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, who took office a year ago, is expected to push the Trump administration’s plan to boost domestic fossil fuel production. He also helped develop plans for offshore drilling.

Not only that, this character has also effectively supported President Trump in the recent trade war with China. Recently, the US Department of the Interior has temporarily suspended the operation of the 800-strong Chinese-made drone fleet. This is the largest drone fleet in the US Government today. The reason given is that these Chinese drones have caused increasing concerns about national security issues for the US. The administrative order issued by the US Department of the Interior can be said to be one of the biggest responses to this issue. Of course, the most important commander in this decision is Secretary David Berhardt - one of the most trusted cabinet officials today!

The US Department of the Interior, headed by Secretary David Berhardt, has temporarily grounded its fleet of 800 Chinese-made drones. Photo: Getty